Project Summary The neural crest and cranial placodes are embryonic structures that contribute to a wide variety of cell types during development, including the peripheral nervous system, pigment cells, the craniofacial skeleton, teeth and peripheral sense organs. Neural crest and cranial placodes are derived from adjacent domains within the early ectoderm and their initial patterning is influenced by coordinated signals. Neural crest cells are highly migratory, arising at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube and invading the periphery before their final differentiation. Because of their migratory properties, study of the neural crest has pioneered the understanding of fundamental properties of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, as well as single cell and collective cell migrations. Study of the pluripotent nature of neural crest has been instrumental in defining general stem cell properties across numerous tissue populations. The cranial placodes are ectodermal thickenings in the head that undergo complex morphogenesis to form sensory structures such as the olfactory sensory epithelium, lens, lateral line system and inner ear. In addition, neuronal precursors delaminate from the cranial placodes to form most of the neurons in cranial sensory ganglia, while the adenohypophyseal placode gives rise to the anterior pituitary gland. The emergence of the neural crest and cranial placodes is thought to have been instrumental in the evolutionary ascension of the vertebrates. The use of systems biology methods to construct the gene regulatory networks that control vertebrate development has also been pioneered in the study of neural crest and cranial placodes. The goal of the Neural Crest and Cranial Placodes Gordon Research Conference (NC&CP GRC) is to bring researchers together to exchange ideas, form collaborations, and mentor young scientists studying in this area of basic and biomedical research. This conference will facilitate shared insights and fuel advances in our understanding of two developmentally, evolutionarily, and clinically important populations of cells. The ultimate goal of the conference will be to accelerate the exchange of information across different model systems, and to promote technological innovations and a genome scale understanding of the mechanisms that govern the formation, and subsequent differentiation, of the neural crest and cranial placodes.